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youngnaspiring70x7
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Name: Alex
Country: United States
State: Ohio
Metro: Columbus
Birthday: 9/13/1984
Gender: Male
Interests: Rock N Roll music, an unhealthy obsession with Family Guy and Jesse Lacey,
Expertise: Telling you about good music.
Occupation: Student
Industry: Media
Message: message me
AIM:  iapreci8brdnew
Member Since:
1/18/2005
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| MOM! THE MEATLOAF!!Well, it has been quite a while since I have updated the neglected Xanga. To say a lot has gone on since March 8th would be the biggest understatement ever but I will do my best to update everyone who may or may not care.
First and foremost, on a bright and steamy day in early June, I graduated form Ohio State with a bachelors in journalism. It was a rather enjoyable aside from the whole sweating my balls off thing. Former President Bill Clinton spoke to us graduates which was pretty sweet. He didn't mention his wife or really directly talk politics at all, which made me extremely happy. I am not overly sentimental but I didn't want my graduation to become a political rally and it really didn't which was nice. Our group was the last one called to receive the diplomas and we were instructed to take our degrees and we could just leave the stadium. Once again, I am not too sentimental, but still I found the whole thing rather anti-climactic. It was almost like, "OK, your checks cleared, now hurry up and get out of here so we can get some new fresh money in here." Kind of a jaded way to view my last real day of college but I guess I just calls it like I sees it. Whether or not I will do anything with the degree is another story all together...
Which leads me to discuss the situation with the band. The last few months (particularly the last month or so) have been crazy to say the least. As some of you know the Great Transparency has been on and off tour for the last 3 or 4 weeks as the opening band for something called the Losing Myself Tour. As I type this, I am sitting backstage at a small venue in Greensboro, North Carolina. It has been a very trying situation for me. I am very much a homebody and so anytime I am out of my comfort zone, I get...well...uncomfortable. This tour, while it has been immensely fun, it has been hard being away from my home, family and friends. I miss everyone back in GC and what I wouldn't give to stop by the Treehouse, if only for an episode of Hells Kitchen. (Don't worry, I have been keeping up. Bonnie and Rock in the final?! I understand Rock, but Bonnie? Are you serious?!?! Jen got jipped!) The only thing is, it looks like I am going to have to make the road a part of my comfort zone.
There is interest in the band by a few record labels that would make this band an even more "full-time" gig. One such label is a very small one called ToneCrash. It is owned by a man named Barry. Now Barry used to be a part of the HUGELY popular christian band, Audio Adrenaline and has been producing bands for years. Dudeman has gold records, platinum records, Grammy nominations and Dove Awards all over his basement and that was just a really cool thing for us. In fact we spend this last Wednesday and Thursday at his home studio tracking a song just to see how we feel about recording with him. The thing with this is when Barry started the label, he had enough money to produce two bands records, with promo and distro. He released the full length of a band called Two Empty Chairs earlier this year. Not that we would be his last shot, but I would feel some pressure if we went with ToneCrash. Not only would we be his second of two bands, but if for some reason it tanked, we would totally screw the label. This is all talk but it is a concern of mine personally. I guess we will cross that bridge when/if we come to it. We don't know what will happen in the future though. We have about 4 weeks left on this tour and we will come home and explore our options. We aren't really sure what is going to happen, but we just have to keep our heads down and keep at it. I am pretty happy about where the band is going.
However, this means I am in no hurry to head out and start using my journalism degree. I mean it is something I really enjoy doing, but it is something you need to eat, sleep, breathe and live. It is nothing you can half ass. You need to be intense and I don't think I will be able to give it enough attention, plus if something happens with the band, I would hate to sever ties with a publication and leave some bad feelings. I will probably get back from this tour and lay low for a little while and recharge my batteries, then head out and try to get some worthless temp job. Though I secretly am worried that I will end up like Ryan at Dunder Mifflin on The Office, I am just looking for something to earn some money to pay some people off and save. I am living at home right now to help with my expenses. I know it is never a step up to say that I am moving in with my parents, but right now it is just what the doctor ordered. Plus if I need to leave, I will feel less bad about leaving a temp job than a real journalism job. Oh well, I guess time will tell.
The final big change in my life is on the relationship front. I have recently started dating a girl named Katie. Many of you met her at Dans wedding (Congrats again dude!) and she is just an all around cool girl. We used to work together at the Schott and is a junior in English at OSU from Lebanon, Ohio. She is a huge supporter of the band and all that jazz which makes things very easy on both of us so things are working out well on that end.
Finally, here is what has been invading my iPod recently.
Gogol Bordello - Super Tarantula
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
Paramore - Riot!
Starting Line - Direction
Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
Hidden in Plain View - Resolution
Boys Night Out - S/T
Take care of yourselves and I will see you in September with plenty of stories! Feel free to call if you want!
We're got one chance to break out
And we need it now
'Cause I'm sick and tired of waiting
sick of this fucking apartment.
-The Academy Is "Black Mamba"
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| Follow the leader, until we stray...Hmmmm. Well...here I am. I think there is point where I just sort of
have this for my own personal gradification than anything else. But
here is what is up with me.
It feels like I have been spending an unhealthy amount of time with
school. I am always on campus or if not on campus doing work at my
apartment or if I am not at my apartment I am busy worrying about
school. I know that this kind of what college is all about, but still I
have been just kind of floating through these last few months. See, I
lucked out because I only technically have class on Tuesday and
Thursday. Sounds stellar right? Yeah, well, kind of. Now Wednesdays,
until recently ( I will get to that later), have been filled with my
work with the scum that is UWeekly (also, getting to that later). So
from about 4 am until about 4 pm, my days are pretty much shot. I get
home from delivering papers and I just have to crash. My body makes me.
This makes me pretty much worthless throughout most of Thursday, my
crazy busy day. So by the time Friday rolls around I am more or less
trying to frantically re-establish my normal schedule. I usually
correct it by Monday or Tuesday, then, wham, it is Wednesday again. It
is a vicious cycle. I took the required jouranlism-writing class this
quarter and it more or less dominated my life. I mean I enjoyed it but
I am a little worried about my other two classes. Something tells me I
am going to need to do pretty well on these two exams to get by this
quarter. No Wii this weekend I guess....
Speaking of which, I recently got the job of being the assistant Arts
editor at the Lantern for spring quarter. I mean, I know it doesnt
sound that prestigous, but it will give me a leg up on everyone else
who is graduating that didn't have that expierience. I am a little
worried about it. The staff is pretty much staying the same, in fact
they are only losing 2 people (and not many people liked those people),
and they seem a little cliquey. I mean, I know Christina, Amanda (the
head of the Arts section next quarter) and Gerrick (my old editor who
is going to be ast Editor-in-Chief) but I am worried about becoming
part of the group. I suppose it is just insecurity because I had a
similar reaction when I entered the actual Lantern class and I
assimilated pretty well, I think. I guess, I have just heard from some
people "Don't piss him off" or "Don't piss her off" and I guess I am
just a little worried about screwing something small up and ruining my
whole quarter. I am the kind of person who will ask a lot of questions
and that is something that I worry about. Ah.
As of yesterday, I will no longer be working for UWeekly. For those who
might not be, well-versed in the world of OSU campus newspapers,
UWeekly is this crappy little weekly publication that, for all
intensive purposes, is nothing more than a tabloid you might see by the
Kroger check out. It is all opinion, speculations, terrible writing and
pictures of drunk chicks. Yeah, pictures of drunk chicks are all well
and good, but come on. Not to say the Lantern is a beacon of
professional journalism, but we strive to maintain some type of
integrity. I pretty much took the job because the pay was simply
amazing and I was just too poor to worry about who I was working for. I
had joked with some friends that I was peddling smut to students and
that I was, in all reality, just helping this horrible publication
reach people who might be too dumb to realize they are reading filth.
But once, I got the job at the Lantern, I was not allowed to work both
there and UWeekly. So, I went into the UWeekly offices and told them
what was up. It really was not personal at the time, and, surprisingly,
my boss was OK with it. I told him an oppritunity arose to help further
my career after I graduated and I could not do both jobs. He was OK
with it (forgetting that I was a journalism major) and talked to me
about what could be done to make my job better etc etc. Just as I was
about it leave, he asked what I would be doing. I was not going to lie,
so I told him I was working for the Lantern. He seemed pretty hurt and
he understood why I was doing what I was doing, but he said to me he
was kind of hurt that I would not come to them first about writing for
them and all this other crap. I told him I didnt go looking for a job
at a paper, it come to me. But I knew that if I was offered a job at
both papers, I would have taken the Lantern 10 times out of 10.
Well, yesterday, in the issue of UWeekly I was peddling to students,
there was an article ripping both the Lantern and Gerrick, who was my
editor this past quarter. Quality guy, great writer all that fun stuff.
I felt like such a failure. I had helped contribute to people reading
an article that was slanderous, inaccurate and attacked someone I
respect not simply as a writer but as a person. If I had not already
quit, I would have quit UWeekly yesterday in a heartbeat. It was just
so agrivating to me. I know a whole bunch of crap that is just stupid
but let'e be honest, I have become pretty involved over the last 10
weeks. As probably one of 2 or 3 people who can talk about both sides
here, I feel pretty upset.
On a slightly different topic, I got to see a preview screening of
Frank Miller's 300 on Tuesday night. It lived up to expecations. My
review ran in the paper today and here it is:
http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/03/08/Arts/Gore-Stunning.Cinematography.Make.300.A.Spectacular.Epic-2765016.shtml
(DONT WORRY ABOUT REGISTERING. JUST CLICK "HOME" AT THE TOP)
I also finally got a new phone the other day. It is the LG enV. I love
it. It might be a little bit of an over kill for me, but I still am
digging it.
The band is chugging away. There are some pretty cool things going on
including a string of 8 shows in 9 days over the course of spring
break. Add the Brand New concert to the mix (8 days!!!) and it is
shaping up to be a great break.
But I guess I have killed enough time.
All the girls pose the same for pictures
All the boys got the same girls' hair
I am bored 'cause I fell much older
Look at me, as if I've got a reason to stare
- The Format "She Doesnt Get It"
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| The Waffles have been cancelled...Good day to you all. It has been truly forever since I have posted
something on here, and to be honest, I haven't really been keeping up
with everyone else's either. Sorry. Things have been crazy.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday. I know that mine was somewhat
restful. I lost about a week of it to the band (I will get to that
later) but other than that the break was extremely lazy. I ended up
with a whole bunch of new bass equipment, even more clothes, a few CDs
and DVDs along with a host of other little fun toys and gagets. I
received a copy of Clerks 2 which was more than worth it's weight in
gold. I saw the flick in the theatre, and thought it was pretty good.
Not amazing but not average. Pretty good. I threw it on my list for my
extended family. It is an easy buy, ya know? I got it on Christmas eve
and went home and watched the whole feature itself along with a 90
documentary which was very insightful. Like with many Kevin Smith
movies, I had to see it a couple times before I could fully appreciate
it. And now, I have seen it many times and love it. But the most
embarassing part was on Chrstmas Eve. I waited for my mom and brother
to go to bed and my dad was asleep on the couch. Now, my dad usually
sleeps like a rock so figured, what the hey, I will start the movie. I
got about 2/3 of the way through it without a stir from the old man. I
had to cover my mouth to hold in my laughter on certain parts (The
Pillow Pants and the Lord of the Rings scenes in particular) but along
comes the great Donkey scene. At one of the more, ehm, explict parts, I
hear a voice behind me say, "What the hell are you watching?" Ugh. I
think that if he had not seen Jay and Silent Bob he might thought I was
watching a different kind of movie.
The band is kicking well. But we had hit a snag sometime in mid
December. See, we wanted to do a small tour thoughout Ohio and Indiana
and we recruited a "friend" named Jon to help us book some of the
harder to book days (Monday-Thursday). Now Jon is the guy who claimed
to own a record label that was just purchased by Columbia. We saw some
contracts, we saw a little money, we heard a lot of promises so we
worked with him a little bit. As time went on, things got more and more
shady.
Finally, the second day of the tour, we were playing in this irish pub.
After a huge amount of confusion, we were told we could play for 20
along with our friends, a band called Goodnight Wednesday. We were put
off by the entire situation, so we quietly went through our 5 songs so
GNW could come on and play. They were almost finished with their very
first song when the owner ran up to them screaming and swearing. "NO!
NO! NO! GET OUT! Pay them their money and leave!" We got kicked out of
a bar, and not in that normal college kid/ Ben Faiella way. 10 minutes
later we find out that the show the next day in Indiana was cancelled,
another show Jon booked. Suspecting foulplay, we called up the Bowling
Green Church of the Nazarene (another one of the shows booked by Jon)
the next day and they told us that Jon had contacted them and they
emphaticly said "No." So that was the final straw. The next day we sat
down with him and David just ripped him a new one. But now we don't
have to worry about that crap anymore. We are no worse for the wear and
are much more skeptical in general. Generally a win-win.
But things are going well. We actually have most of January off until
the 27th when we play at the Grove City Naz. If anyone is home you
should definately come. Tree....nudge nudge.
Well, I have killed enough time for now. I need to get some food, then it is a four hour block of class. God help me.
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| Listen to 8mm.
Listen to The Format
Listen to Brand New
Listen to Park
Listen to Straylight Run
"Babe, I know you never leave without your gun
but if you'll let it be and just sit down and lay your hands on me..."
- 8mm "No Way Back"
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| I have spent the majority of this morning sitting in a computer lab
studying for a Comm 422 exam. It mostly deals with editing sentences,
editing news stories, checking for misspelled words and other things
teachers do on a daily basis. I am not SUPER worried about it and I
think I will be OK, but still, it is an exam. I should be getting my
game face on. Instead I am posting on a neglected Xanga while listening
to a band called 8mm. Quite good by the way.
Yesterday Christina and I had the very fortunate opportunity to see a
taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. To say I enjoyed it would be
a huge understatement. We waited in line for about 3 hours but it was
totally worth it. Plus, lines don't really bother us. We are line
people. Roller coasters, restraunts and, of course, concerts. We dont
mind lines. We talked to the people around us a little but it was nice
to just hang out and shoot the breeze, just her and I. Since she is
working crazy hours during the week, and I am gone many weekends with
the band, every moment we have together is important. But once we got
in I incredibly surprised at how the show was set up. We thought we
were going to be in a huge auditorium, sitting in the nosebleed
section. Oh no. It was a VERY small studio that held 275 people.
(Though it looked like it only held about 100 or 150 max.) We ended up
sitting about 20 feet away from the desk and I found myself always
smiling. There was some guy who came out before the show started to try
and get the crowd all riled up and he was very very funny. Just your
typical pick-on-the-uptight-white-guys-in-the-audience type of act but
it was extremely funny. Finally, Jon Stewart came out and talked to us
and fielded a few questions before the show kicked off. Maybe it was
because I was sitting there watching it happen or the fact there were
so many Ohio/ Columbus/ Ohio State jokes, but I laughed extremely hard.
Quote of the day? The Republicans were talking about how if we elected
democrats, they will raise taxes and do all these crazy things. They
showed a yard-banner for a candidate named: Mr. Dumbfuck
McDoesntexsist. I dunno, I laughed extremely hard. But it was one of
those things that you can look back on in 20 years and tell your kids
about. I suppose that I might be over exaggerating, but still it was
one of the coolest things I have been a part of.
Finally, this Saturday, The Great Transparency will having our EP release show at Gloryland Church of the Nazerene (
3570 Coonpath Road, Lancaster, Ohio 43130) .
It is only $5 to get in plus you can get a copy of the TGT disc for
only $7 (I think). We worked extremely hard on this and it would mean a
whole lot for you to come if you can. If you have any questions, you
can get a hold of me.
Anyway, listen to the Format.
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